I've been looking for some all season tires to run on the Evo during the Winter. Not enough snow here to run a dedicated winter tire. I have my choices down to the BFG KDW and the Goodyear Eagle F1 AS. I will be going with OEM size. Being interested in saving a little money, I called my brother, who is an engineer at a large Goodyear tire plant down in Lawton, OK. Employees get coupons for rebates on a set of tires ($80.00 on a set of four I believe). I just find the best price and get the rebate through the mail afterwards.

Here is the interesting part, which some of you may or may not have already known. When I call him, he asks what size I need because he may be able to get me a better tire. I ask if he means a better line of Goodyear tires, and he says no, a better spec'd tire. I ask what he means. He told me that if the tire size is an OEM for some vehicle out there, they actually have different runs for OEM vs. renewal tires. They actually "stop the presses", so to speak, and set the tolerances tighter when they run a batch going to the car manufactrurers. The tolerance allowed on tires going to retail outlets is more lax. He said that this is true for wheels also. A manufacturer will have to set the tolerances tighter for wheels going to the vehicle manufacturers. And the tolerance on the fit/mount/balance are much tighter when they come straight from the manufacturer.

So what this boils down to is: The best balance and quality you can get on a tire/wheel combo comes straight from the showroom floor (except for the few lemons which you will always have no matter what). If you want a tire that is least likely to blow out on you, or have the bead or sidewall separate, or do not want a wheel that is more likely to somehow be structurally inferior, you should leave on the OEM stuff as long as you can. Changing out for aesthetic reasons may not be a good idea right after buying a vehicle.

If I decide to go with the Goodyear tire and am lucky enough to have our size be an OEM size for some vehicle out there, he can set aside 4 tires from a run destined for the car manufacturers and have them shipped to my local Goodyear store for mounting. If not, I can still get the rebate when I buy from Sam's Club or The Tire Rack or whatever.

Just an interesting fact that I thought I would share.

 

probably true...i got bfg's in the oem size...all season high performance traction t/a tires....treadwear 440 traction aa temp a.....a lot cheaper than the stock tires and last way longer($650 for 4 tires mounted and balanced)....perform great....probably not quite as good as the stock tires of course but replacing my tires every 20k miles to me is rediculous....the evo is a daily driver for me...a lot quieter and smoother ride also and still handles the turns ....i haven't noticed any less performance...these tires stick like glue

also i've read that changing tire or rim sizes (although it does look good) adds more stress to the steering and linkage components damaging them over time because they are not made specifically for the car ....they are a general fit made to go on any car...

 

Yeah, the OEM tires are $$$$$$$$. When they wear out, then the tighter specs on the OEM tire will not matter anymore because any tire sold to a retailer (even if it is the OEM tire and size) will have more lax tolerances than those sold to Mitsubishi directly. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do once my Advans wear out.

 

The Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3Ds are an awsome option once your advans wear out, they are one of the best no compromise tires for low temps on the tarmac as well as the summer (no squirm at speed in the corners) and wet conditions, plus they don't wear out as fast. DUNLOP SP Winter Sport 3D

 

Thanks for the review on the Dunlops. I'll probably end up buying an Extreme Performance Summer tire for the dryer months around here, and keep Goodyear F1 all seasons on the rest of the year. Just not sure which Summer tire to get. The Advans do stick very well on dry surfaces but once again $$$$$.

 

I am facing time for replacement of the Advans.... Tough decision considering I am heading to the track in June and don't want to loose the summer traction. Also dont really want to pay 300/tire only to have them wear out again in 10k miles...

 

It may not be a cheaper otion for the short run, but buying an all season set with greater tread life for most of the year and saving your Advans for the Summer/Track may be the way to go.

 

^+1

 

I was not fond of how the F1 AS ran in the snow, but then again I'm running 255's so not the same as stock size. Great in dry conditions tho.

 

They don't have the best rating in the snow, but I just can't justify getting a dedicated snow tire while living in OK. We get about 4-8" maybe two to three times during the winter. We also get freezing rain (like we had this last week). But it never sticks around for very long. I hear that the wet traction is excellent though. Lots of rain here in the Spring.

Just made the decision. I bought the Goodyear F1 AS set. Set of four with road hazard, mounting, balancing, and sales tax = $730. I will also get an $80 dollar rebate back in about 5-6 weeks. It's great having a brother working for Goodyear.

 

Let me know how you like those tires. I have been looking at those for some time. Just have not had to pull the plug yet but i need a good all season for wet weather and snow in the winter.

 

i'll probably have them put on on Tuesday. I'll have a 90 mile trip home on wet roads most likely. We'll see how I like them.

 

Michelin Pilots have been my fave, the KDWs are a little bit loud for me and the DD aspect.

 

very good info, thank you for sharing

 

I have been debating between them and the Blizzak LM-25 for a tire to go to the ski resorts on. Please let us know what you think.